Scenes from an Education Think Tank

Equitable access, personalized learning, and the role of social media were among the topics tackled at today’s Education Think Tank hosted by Dell.

A diverse group of educators, administrators, IT personnel and community members active in social media assembled for the day-long event held at Scholastic headquarters in Soho in New York City.

The topics, devised on site by the participants, were:

• How can technology serve to transform teaching and learning? When we say “educational transformation”, what does that mean and how do we get there?
• How do we increase access to technology and make it a priority in districts to maximize learning?  Are 1:1 environments attainable?  If so how? Where does equity fit in?
• What does personalized learning look like and how can it be established? How do we move districts, educators, and other stakeholders to embrace this concept both in and out of school?
• What is, or should be, the role of social media in education/the classroom and how can it be utilized for professional development?
• How do we engage school leaders in a conversation about the important role of technology and social media in education? How do administrators support innovation in the age of accountability?

Needless to say, the issues before the group couldn’t be solved in a day. And it’s going to take some time before we can define the way forward. In the meantime, there’s a Google Doc, an ongoing conversation on Twitter  at #DoMoreEDU, and a website.

Eric Sheninger, principal of New Milford High School and moderator of the Think Tank issued the group the following homework:

“Contact one person that you would like to help change. Give them tangible actions.”

More reflections on the event from Tom Whitby, Lisa Nielsen, and Karen Blumberg.